BMG Parent Company Bertelsmann to Become Carbon Neutral by 2030

BMG parent company Bertelsmann has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. The multibillion-dollar conglomerate announced the commitment via a formal media release. Bertelsmann also indicated that the initiative would be undertaken as part of Sci…

Tim McGraw Departs Sony Music Nashville, Reunites with Big Machine

After departing Sony Music Nashville earlier this month, country music star Tim McGraw has re-signed with Big Machine Records. McGraw, along with Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta, took the stage at last week’s Country Radio Seminar (a gathering for …

Reba McEntire Shocks the Music World by Re-Signing with UMG Nashville

In an unexpected move, legendary country singer and songwriter Reba McEntire has re-signed with Universal Music Group Nashville. The surprising switch was revealed at the 2020 Country Radio Seminar, a three-day gathering for country stars, radio employ…

Original Masters Belonging to Nirvana, Soundgarden, Elton John, Peter Frampton Destroyed In Universal Studios Fire, Universal Music Confirms

In a recent court filing from the ongoing lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), additional light was shed on the extent of the damage caused by the 2008 Universal Studios fire. Many masters, including those of Slayer, Soundgarden, Michael McDona…

Aloe Blacc Inks Global Recording Pact With BMG — New Album This Year

BMG has inked Aloe Blacc to a multiyear recording agreement, with content releasing immediately. As part of the new deal, Blacc released a single, “I Do,” from his upcoming, currently unnamed fourth album. The track and its corresponding vi…

Who Says Warner Music Gets to Have All the Fun? Universal Music Group Says They’ll Go Public by 2023

According to the just-released earnings report from Vivendi, a French media conglomerate and the parent company of Universal Music Group, UMG will offer an IPO on Wall Street sometime within the next three years.  The announcement came after UMG’s 2019…

A&R Executive Sues Warner Music Group After Losing a $500,000-a-Year Gig

Warner Music Group (WMG) is being sued by Michael Flynn, a producer/A&R exec who says that he was promised—and later denied—a $500,000-per-year A&R job. In the filing, which was submitted to the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angel…

Lil Nas X Drives a Financial Boom at Sony Music — Quarterly Revenues Approach $2 Billion

Sony Music Entertainment sees a Q3 increase in revenue, across both recorded music and publishing.  Lil Nas X — inked to Columbia/Sony back in March of 2019 — helped to drive the results. After an intense bidding war last year, Sony Music label Columbi…

Warner Music Group Quarterly Earnings Jump 42% (Thank You, Streaming)

Warner Music Group (WMG) just reported a very solid first-quarter growth. Warner Music Group (WMG) recorded substantial profits in the first quarter of its fiscal year, which began in October of 2019 and ended on December 31st. In an earnings report is…

Sony Music Entertainment Restructures, Bolsters Asian and Middle Eastern Operations

Sony Music Entertainment (SME) is restructuring and expanding its operations in Oceania, Asia, and the Middle East. In a formal announcement, the company indicated that Asia-Pacific exec Denis Handlin will shift his focus exclusively to Australia and N…